Airbus Group To Focus On Military Aircraft, Space And Missiles
Airbus Group plans to sell non-core assets, including its stake in Dassault Aviation.
A version of this article appears in the September 22 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Two years ago the Airbus Group was called EADS and its defense division was Cassidian. Stefan Zoller was Cassidian’s CEO and EADS was in merger talks with BAE Systems. The new group was poised to take off big time. Since then everything has changed.
In fact, last week’s announcement by Europe’s largest aerospace company about the sale of significant parts of its defense or defense-related businesses illustrates a dramatic 180-deg.-turn by CEO Tom Enders, driven by a dismal business climate. Airbus Defense & Space plans to focus on military aircraft, space and guided missiles while divesting assets it now considers non-core.